Chuck: Ha, ha, ha. I will dig around your latest attempt to keep me out of the chicken run. The dirt is really soft after all the rain.

Frog: Grrrrrrr.

Chuck: And to show you how much I despise your puny efforts to keep me out, I will knock the lid off of your can of chicken feed!

Frog: That's what I want you to do, you stupid woodchuck. Please. Eat from the can. Knock yourself out.

Chuck: I will dig anywhere I choose! Just watch your step in the dark!

Weatherdude suggested putting chicken wire down on the ground on the inside of the gate and anchoring it. After various attempts to keep hawks out of the run, we have some spare chicken wire. The Dude said, in his manly way, that he would 'take care of it' when he got home last night. After the Frog provided him with a very tasty taco salad chased by apples and cheese, the Dude was not exactly in the mood to do any physical labor. So this morning, when I found what the chuck had done, I looked about for spare wire.

It would seem the only spare wire was currently in use. G-Dude decided that the grass in the run should have a chance to grow and had blocked off one end with chicken wire to protect it. Which worked fine until the chickens got themselves stuck climbing over it and unable to get back for bed. Then, instead of taking it down, Weatherdude just twisted it enough so they could get under it. Which meant I needed to go back to the house for a pair of metal cutters of some kind. Because for a temporary fence, it sure was stapled securely to the 4x4 posts with u-bolt staples.

Bruised my palms trying to cut the wire enough to pull it off. Cursed engineers who over-engineer their solutions. Face it, G-Dude. You might be a writer, painter, handyman, but you have an engineer's soul.

G-Dude called while I was writing this post. Showed up to help fight the woodchuck, who has already pulled the lid off the can but has NOT dug into the run yet today. And G-Dude pointed out the back corner of the barn (dark, dark I tell you!) where oodles of chicken wire sits. Doh!

So...the gate is closed, chicken wire sits on the ground with a lot of concrete blocks on top. And G-Dude will replace it with pavers for now. HA! Reinforcements! Take that, Chuck!

Well, that's the trick, how to anchor it. If a chuck encounters a wire fence, he/she will stop. It's not exactly a fence going down, but no matter where he/she pops up for about 2 feet, this chuck is going to encounter a nose full of chicken wire. We'll see if this just leads to a longer tunnel. Or to alternatives that are worse, as least as far as I'm concerned.

Ah. Took me a bit to remember, Ron. There's so little info on your lj account, which is presumably how you like things. How are you? I had no idea you still read my blog from time to time. Are you in a Denver writing group in any way? Some members are coming to Taos, I believe.